Michigan Sea Grant and partners provide seafood safety training certification courses to help commercial fishers, processors, and fish farm operators maintain a competitive advantage in seafood quality while meeting state and federal requirements.
Commercial fishing operators and fish processors must follow strict guidelines to meet tribal, state, and federal requirements for health and food safety. The Seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) certification course is a federal regulation for ensuring that businesses handling seafood products stay up-to-date on requirements and best practices. This requirement allows commercial fishers and processors to meet licensing requirements and provide a safe and healthy product for consumers.
MISG, in partnership with the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC), regularly offers Seafood HACCP courses to train and certify employees from commercial fishing and fish processing businesses and related regulatory agencies. In 2024, MISG and GLIFWC provided four Seafood HACCP trainings across Michigan and Wisconsin. Holding these courses in state and ceded territories boosts local seafood businesses and products, and the unique partnership with GLIFWC provides accessible training for local, national, and even international participants.
Many of the 2024 participants were from tribal businesses or regulatory agencies. The training course supports innovation, modernization, quality standards, and networking among industry participants. Fish processors who complete this course are at a competitive advantage as they can meet tribal, state, and federal requirements while making value-added seafood products to help increase their revenue margins.
The 2024 courses have had a real-world impact. Thanks to earning or maintaining their HACCP certification, 37 people were able to retain their jobs or step into new roles within the seafood processing industry. The total economic value of those new and retained jobs is over $1.9 million per year, based on 2024 wage figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
For information about Seafood HACCP courses later in 2025, watch Michigan Sea Grant’s event calendar and sign up for the Upwellings newsletter.
